Avanse Financial Services in conversation with Monika Gwalani, who is all set to pursue a Master of Engineering in Engineering Management from the University of Ottawa, Canada. Here we will highlight details about her academic journey, a brief review about her institution and course, the reason behind opting for this field and her research mechanism for study abroad destination, university and course selection.

Let’s start with Monika’s academic journey so far

Monika has been born and brought up in Jaipur. She has done B.Tech in Electronics & Communications Engineering from Jaipur Engineering College & Research Center. After completing her graduation, she started working with a multinational firm as an Application Development Analyst and has been with this organization for more than 3 years now. Monika always had plans to pursue a Master’s degree in this field as she believed that it would strengthen her profile and provide the necessary impetus for her career growth. But she accepted the job offer during the campus placement as it gave her the opportunity to gain the exposure and the experience necessary to pursue higher education from her preferred study abroad destination. So what do we learn here? Set your goal and start planning for it early.

About the course and institution

The University of Ottawa (uOttawa) is one of the world’s largest bilingual (English & French) universities. It is a public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located in the heart of Ottawa’s Downtown Core. It offers a plethora of courses across domains such as social sciences, health, engineering, science and humanities. According to U.S. News & World Report Ranking 2021, Ottawa ranked 192 in the list of higher education institutions.

The Engineering Management Program offers a Master of Engineering and a Graduate Diploma in Engineering Management. The program is supervised by a committee composed of representatives from the Telfer School of Management and the Faculty of Engineering. Some of the main research areas are Production & Operations Management, Robotics & Manufacturing Management, Reliability & Maintainability Engineering, HR Management, Industrial & Technology Marketing, Research & Development, Innovation Management, to name a few.

Monika selected this course as she believes that this program is the perfect amalgamation of Engineering and Management domains which is suitable for her professional profile. The course structure will provide the necessary skills which will help her advance in her career path. Her first semester is scheduled to begin in September 2021.

Monika’s research-backed decision

She always wanted to study abroad and get a job where she could apply her technical and management skills to lead from the front. One of the first things which she needed to decide was the country. She analysed parameters such as post-study work scenarios, expenses involved, permanent residency chances and opportunities. After evaluating all the details, she chose Canada as her study abroad destination. Her second step was to scrutinize the colleges and universities which offered a course that gave her the opportunity to learn both engineering and management skills. She prepared a list of top Canadian universities and institutions, checked the websites and shortlisted the courses designed as per her domain interest. She figured out that only three universities in Canada offered such a program.

During this conversation, Monika mentioned a crucial factor. It is extremely important also to have a backup plan. If you cannot get through the selected course and college for any reason, you should still be able to pursue your academic dream on similar lines. Monika’s backup plan was to take up a similar course in Database Management which is also an in-demand field. She also prepared a list of colleges offering this program and applied there as well. She checked all the criteria for application and planned her journey accordingly.

Monika highlighted that peer-to-peer conversation is another essential aspect of one’s research mechanism. Apart from doing desktop research, she connected with people through LinkedIn. Her friends also helped her connect with people currently staying in Canada to understand the culture of this country, the environment for international students, employment scenarios, and various other aspects. Pursuing higher studies is a crucial decision, especially if you are taking a study loan during these unprecedented times. Hence, connect with experienced people, understand the market, ask questions about their experience and then take the right decision after evaluating everything thoroughly.

So that’s all about the start of Monika’s higher education journey planning and the research mechanism. In the next chapter, we will highlight the impact of COVID on Monika’s academic program, her accommodation plans, things to keep in mind before travelling abroad, her way of managing educational expenses and more. Till then, if you have any queries on study loan plans, please reach out to Avanse. We will be happy to assist you. Take care!